The audio CD of The Queen’s Garden, on reserve in the main library and also available from Amazon and a number of other sources, is a vivid illustration of the power of storytelling. Brenda Wong Aoki, accompanied by music composed by Mark Izu, brings to life the words of the work contained in your textbook.
I advise you to read The Queen’s Garden before listening to it on the CD. You will find your pleasure increases as you hear it performed by the author. The musical accompaniment and sound effects helps to shape your imagination about the characters and their experiences and relationships, as well as paint a vivid picture of the environment in which the action takes place.
Please note that the particular divisions and subdivisions identified as fourteen separate episodes on the CD are not exactly like those in your text probably because the work needed to be cut down to accommodate the length of time possible on a CD. But never mind, the story still flows seamlessly forward.
Quoting from the dust jacket Aoki says, “People call America “the salad bowl” or “the melting pot.” I prefer to think of us as a garden. We are a glorious mix of colors and fragrances, and our children are the flowers. The Queen’s Garden is about the place where I grew up, the neighborhood where my parents, sisters and brother, nephews and nieces still live –– the Westside of Long Beach. I was born chop suey –– “Made in America and all mixed up” –– Chinese, Japanese, Spanish and Scots. People always ask “Where you from?” or “How come you talk English so good?” But the reality is, “I’m American and my face is what America is becoming.
I know what it’s like to strut down the street with your compadres –– feeling so BAD you could move mountains with your bare hands. Driving fast on the freeway, radio blasting, with the wind in your hair and the sun on your skin. I remember the warm, sweet, scent of my fine brown man, as we slow-danced to Smokey – dreaming so high, we knew we could fly. But now I know what it feels like when dreams turn to ash and you hit the ground.
The Queen’s Garden is a story that comes from my life. It’s about first love and it’s about “the Mamas.” You know the kind. You find them everywhere. Even in the meanest, poorest, loneliest places on earth. They’re usually cookin’ or cleanin’ surrounded by kids and nothing works without them. On the Westside our Mama was Aunti Mary. She ruled Gold Star Homes, the housing projects down on Santa Fe Avenue. She took care of everybody’s kids. She fed us when we were hungry. She hugged us when we were down. The Mamas tend the kids in the neighborhoods. A lot of times, they’re the only hope. Because they’re the ones –– out every morning, faithfully tending the flowers.”
The audio CD of The Queen’s Garden, on reserve in the main library and also available from Amazon and a number of other sources, is a vivid illustration of the power of storytelling. Brenda Wong Aoki, accompanied by music composed by Mark Izu, brings to life the words of the work contained in your textbook.
I advise you to read The Queen’s Garden before listening to it on the CD. You will find your pleasure increases as you hear it performed by the author. The musical accompaniment and sound effects helps to shape your imagination about the characters and their experiences and relationships, as well as paint a vivid picture of the environment in which the action takes place.
Please note that the particular divisions and subdivisions identified as fourteen separate episodes on the CD are not exactly like those in your text probably because the work needed to be cut down to accommodate the length of time possible on a CD. But never mind, the story still flows seamlessly forward.
Quoting from the dust jacket Aoki says, “People call America “the salad bowl” or “the melting pot.” I prefer to think of us as a garden. We are a glorious mix of colors and fragrances, and our children are the flowers. The Queen’s Garden is about the place where I grew up, the neighborhood where my parents, sisters and brother, nephews and nieces still live –– the Westside of Long Beach. I was born chop suey –– “Made in America and all mixed up” –– Chinese, Japanese, Spanish and Scots. People always ask “Where you from?” or “How come you talk English so good?” But the reality is, “I’m American and my face is what America is becoming.
I know what it’s like to strut down the street with your compadres –– feeling so BAD you could move mountains with your bare hands. Driving fast on the freeway, radio blasting, with the wind in your hair and the sun on your skin. I remember the warm, sweet, scent of my fine brown man, as we slow-danced to Smokey – dreaming so high, we knew we could fly. But now I know what it feels like when dreams turn to ash and you hit the ground.
The Queen’s Garden is a story that comes from my life. It’s about first love and it’s about “the Mamas.” You know the kind. You find them everywhere. Even in the meanest, poorest, loneliest places on earth. They’re usually cookin’ or cleanin’ surrounded by kids and nothing works without them. On the Westside our Mama was Aunti Mary. She ruled Gold Star Homes, the housing projects down on Santa Fe Avenue. She took care of everybody’s kids. She fed us when we were hungry. She hugged us when we were down. The Mamas tend the kids in the neighborhoods. A lot of times, they’re the only hope. Because they’re the ones –– out every morning, faithfully tending the flowers.”